"Holy shit, she is something else," Danny muttered, his eyes fixed on the timer displaying 97 seconds. He shook his head in disbelief. Just managing to stay atop the bull for 10 seconds was an achievement worth bragging about, but she had stayed on almost ten times longer.
In a mix of awe and dread, he nudged his cousin beside him and added, "Ace, looks like you met your match."
Ace smirked but didn't reply.
"Ace, you don't have to do this. Let's just go," Mandy pleaded, her voice tinged with worry. She couldn't shake the image of Ava being flung off the mechanical bull moments earlier. The memory made her stomach twist—Ava could have broken a leg, an arm, or worse, her neck. In her growing panic, she tugged on the hem of Ace's denim jacket, her grip firm as she tried to pull him back. "A plush doll isn't worth it."
Ace raised an eyebrow and gave her a teasing smile. "And $5,000 in her name? If you're so generous, Mandy, why not use that $5,000 to buy me a used car or a motorcycle when I win that plush for you?"
Ignoring Mandy's exasperated sigh, Ace handed Cam a ten-dollar bill. With the swagger of someone who lived for the spotlight, he stepped onto the foam padding.
As Ava retreated, brushing off dust and massaging her sore shoulder, Ace grinned at her confidently. Without missing a beat, he vaulted onto the mechanical bull, landing smoothly on its back like a seasoned acrobat. The crowd erupted in gasps and cheers, their anticipation palpable.
He adjusted his position, gripping the bull's handle tightly. "What's the record?" he asked, his tone casual despite the growing excitement around him.
Cam, leaning against the control panel, smirked. "129 seconds. My personal best. Ready?"
Ace nodded, a confident glint in his eye as he flexed his fingers. "Let's do this."
At Ace's signal, Cam pressed the button, and the timer began with a sharp beep. The bull shifted into motion, its movements starting slow but steadily intensifying. Ace leaned back lazily, one hand gripping the bull's handle while the other rested on his thigh, as if lounging. The crowd murmured, their anticipation growing.
As the bull's jerks and twists became sharper, Ace moved effortlessly, his body adapting as though it were second nature. While others would cling desperately, he casually glanced between the timer and Ava in the crowd. Ava stood tense, arms crossed and biting her lower lip as her eyes flicked between the timer and Ace. He caught her staring, smirked, and raised an eyebrow in mock amusement. When the bull bucked aggressively, he let out an exaggerated yawn, covering his mouth theatrically.
The crowd gasped, their shock quickly turning into laughter, but Ava's jaw tightened. She shifted uneasily, her fingers gripping her elbow as the timer ticked past her 97-second mark. Ace remained unshaken as the bull hit its hardest setting. Its erratic movements—wild slams and spins—would have flung most riders off, but he barely adjusted his grip. At 100 seconds, Ava grew visibly rigid, her nails digging into her arm as Ace surpassed her time. Their eyes met, his smirk deepening in subtle taunt.
When the timer hit 125 seconds, gasps rippled through the crowd—Ace was close to breaking the record. Ava's fingers twitched, her gaze darting toward Cam as though willing him to stop the timer. At 130 seconds, cheers erupted as Ace shattered the record and at 133 seconds he shifted his weight and let the bull's next violent twist send him tumbling off. His landing was perfect—a smooth roll that looked dramatic but gave nothing away about his true strength.
Brushing imaginary dust from his jeans, Ace stood as the crowd erupted into applause, some stomping their feet in excitement. His face remained calm and collected, though he relished the ease of it all.
"Ace!" Mandy rushed to her dear nephew, circling him as her sharp eyes scanned for any signs of injury. Satisfied he was unharmed, she lightly kicked him on the butt and scolded, "You idiot. If you wanted a car that badly, you could've just asked me! I would have found a way to convince your mother and bought you one."
Ace exaggerated a wince, clutching his butt where Mandy had kicked him. "Really? You're the best aunt," he said, feigning a pained expression that earned an amused eye roll from her.
Meanwhile, Cam, Lola, and Danny approached, their voices overlapping as they sang Ace's praises.
"You made it look easy," Danny said, his eyes lingering on the mechanical bull. For a moment, he considered giving it a try but quickly dismissed the thought. He recalled how both Ava and Ace had been flung by the bull, and his resolve wavered.
"It is, as long as you can manage and shift your body's center of mass to match the bull's jerks, turns, twists, and sudden jolts," Ace said, casually explaining his strategy as though it were the simplest thing in the world. "But once you can't keep up, you'll be flung off."
As he spoke, Ava approached, her expression tight and sour as she clutched the plush doll Mandy had wanted. She extended it toward Ace, her movements stiff, her lips pressed into a thin line as though holding back her frustration.
"Here, as promised. It's yours now," she said, trying her best to mask her disappointment.
Ace took the plush and locked eyes with her. There was a flicker of temper in her gaze, but before it could erupt, he interrupted the tension with a warm tone. "Good game. I had fun. You were good out there. Let's do it again sometime."
Ava's brows furrowed slightly as she processed his words. "Do you mean it?" she asked, her voice cautious, her dark eyes searching his face.
Unbidden memories flashed in her mind: of growing up with strength far beyond that of a regular girl, a trait her mother had noticed early and honed with combat training. Ava had been a decent, kind girl once—until boys she liked began rejecting her after losing to her in duels. Once, she even let one win, hoping for a different outcome. That night, guilt consumed her, and the next day, she knocked him unconscious in front of their class. From then on, she embraced her reputation as a delinquent, wearing it like armor.
"Why wouldn't I?" Ace replied with an easy grin. His eyes gleamed mischievously as he added, "I wasn't the one who lost."
Ava's face flushed, caught between surprise and indignation. Her fist clenched reflexively at her side, itching to wipe that smug grin off his face. Instead, she forced a smirk and said, "Next time, let's see if you can say the same thing when I win." With that, she spun on her heel, her hair swishing as she returned to her father's side, helping him track the donations with renewed focus.